John 18
New American Standard Bible
Judas Betrays Jesus
18 When Jesus had spoken these words, (A)He went away with His disciples across (B)the [a]ravine of the Kidron, where there was (C)a garden which He entered [b]with His disciples. 2 Now Judas, who was [c]betraying Him, also knew the place, because Jesus had (D)often met there with His disciples. 3 (E)So Judas, having obtained (F)the Roman [d]cohort and (G)officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there with lanterns, (H)torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus therefore, (I)knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, came out into the open and *said to them, “(J)Whom are you seeking?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 Now then, when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 He then asked them again, “(K)Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.” 9 This took place so that the word which He spoke would be fulfilled: “(L)Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, (M)since he had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; (N)the cup which the Father has given Me, am I not to drink it?”
Jesus before the Priests
12 (O)So (P)the Roman [e]cohort, the [f]commander, and the (Q)officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and brought Him to (R)Annas first; for he was the father-in-law of (S)Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that (T)it was in their best interest for one man to die in behalf of the people.
15 (U)Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered with Jesus into (V)the courtyard of the high priest, 16 (W)but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. 17 (X)Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “(Y)You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the (Z)officers were standing there, having made (AA)a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were (AB)warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
19 (AC)The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I (AD)have spoken openly to the world; I always (AE)taught in [g]synagogues and (AF)in the temple area, where all the Jews congregate; and I said nothing in secret. 21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who have heard what I spoke to them. Look: these people know what I said.” 22 But when He said this, one of the (AG)officers, who was standing nearby, (AH)struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” 23 (AI)Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” 24 (AJ)So Annas sent Him bound to (AK)Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter’s Denial of Jesus
25 (AL)Now (AM)Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “(AN)You are not one of His disciples as well, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, who was related to the one (AO)whose ear Peter cut off, *said, “Did I not see you in (AP)the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied it again, and immediately (AQ)a rooster crowed.
Jesus before Pilate
28 (AR)Then they *brought Jesus from (AS)Caiaphas into (AT)the [h]Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter (AU)the [i]Praetorium, so that (AV)they would not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. 29 (AW)Therefore Pilate came out to them and *said, “What accusation are you bringing against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If this Man were not [j]a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.” 31 So Pilate said to them, “Take Him yourselves, and judge Him according to your law.” The Jews said to him, “We are not [k]permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 This happened so that (AX)the word of Jesus which He said, indicating what kind of death He was going to die, would be fulfilled.
33 Therefore Pilate (AY)entered the Praetorium again, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “(AZ)You are the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this [l]on your own, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed You over to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “(BA)My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not [m]of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “(BB)You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: (BC)to testify to the truth. (BD)Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” 38 Pilate *said to Him, “What is truth?”
And after saying this, he (BE)came out again to the Jews and *said to them, “(BF)I find no grounds at all for charges in [n]His case. 39 (BG)However, you have a custom that I release one prisoner [o]for you at the Passover; therefore do you wish that I release [p]for you the King of the Jews?” 40 So they shouted again, saying, “(BH)Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a rebel.
Footnotes
- John 18:1 Lit winter torrent; or wadi
- John 18:1 Lit and
- John 18:2 Or handing Him over
- John 18:3 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
- John 18:12 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
- John 18:12 I.e., commander of the cohort
- John 18:20 Lit a synagogue
- John 18:28 I.e., governor’s official residence
- John 18:28 I.e., governor’s official residence
- John 18:30 Lit one doing evil
- John 18:31 I.e., under Roman law
- John 18:34 Lit from yourself
- John 18:36 Lit from here
- John 18:38 Lit Him
- John 18:39 Or to you
- John 18:39 Or to you
John 18
GOD’S WORD Translation
Jesus Is Arrested(A)
18 After Jesus finished his prayer, he went with his disciples to the other side of the Kidron Valley. They entered the garden that was there.
2 Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples often gathered there. 3 So Judas took a troop of soldiers and the guards from the chief priests and Pharisees and went to the garden. They were carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4 Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. So he went to meet them and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
5 They answered him, “Jesus from Nazareth.”
Jesus told them, “I am he.”
Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with the crowd. 6 When Jesus told them, “I am he,” the crowd backed away and fell to the ground.
7 Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus from Nazareth.”
8 Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these other men go.” 9 In this way what Jesus had said came true: “I lost none of those you gave me.”
10 Simon Peter had a sword. He drew it, attacked the chief priest’s servant, and cut off the servant’s right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword away. Shouldn’t I drink the cup ⌞of suffering⌟ that my Father has given me?”
12 Then the army officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied Jesus up 13 and took him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas, the chief priest that year, 14 was the person who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one man die for the people.
Peter Denies Jesus(B)
15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. The other disciple was well-known to the chief priest. So that disciple went with Jesus into the chief priest’s courtyard. 16 Peter, however, was standing outside the gate. The other disciple talked to the woman who was the gatekeeper and brought Peter into the courtyard.
17 The gatekeeper asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples too?”
Peter answered, “No, I’m not!”
18 The servants and the guards were standing around a fire they had built and were warming themselves because it was cold. Peter was standing there, too, and warming himself with the others.
The Chief Priest Questions Jesus
19 The chief priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teachings.
20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly for everyone to hear. I have always taught in synagogues or in the temple courtyard, where all the Jews gather. I haven’t said anything in secret. 21 Why do you question me? Question those who heard what I said to them. They know what I’ve said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing near Jesus slapped his face and said, “Is that how you answer the chief priest?”
23 Jesus replied to him, “If I’ve said anything wrong, tell me what it was. But if I’ve told the truth, why do you hit me?”
24 Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the chief priest. Jesus was still tied up.
Peter Denies Jesus Again(C)
25 Simon Peter continued to stand and warm himself by the fire. Some men asked him, “Aren’t you, too, one of his disciples?”
Peter denied it by saying, “No, I’m not!”
26 One of the chief priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked him, “Didn’t I see you with Jesus in the garden?”
27 Peter again denied it, and just then a rooster crowed.
Pilate Questions Jesus(D)
28 Early in the morning, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the governor’s palace.
The Jews wouldn’t go into the palace. They didn’t want to become unclean,[a] since they wanted to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation are you making against this man?”
30 The Jews answered Pilate, “If he weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate told the Jews, “Take him, and try him by your law.”
The Jews answered him, “We’re not allowed to execute anyone.” 32 In this way what Jesus had predicted about how he would die came true.
33 Pilate went back into the palace, called for Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus replied, “Did you think of that yourself, or did others tell you about me?”
35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn’t belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. My kingdom doesn’t have its origin on earth.”
37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”
Jesus replied, “You’re correct in saying that I’m a king. I have been born and have come into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”
38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After Pilate said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I don’t find this man guilty of anything. 39 You have a custom that I should free one person for you at Passover. Would you like me to free the king of the Jews for you?”
40 The Jews shouted again, “Don’t free this man! Free Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a political revolutionary.)
Footnotes
- 18:28 “Unclean ” refers to anything that Moses’ Teachings say is not presentable to God.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.